Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-12-09
THE FREE PRESS
OPEN THE RESER VI TION.

The Nez Perce Ne,cs is doing good
work in directing the attention of the
people of Lewiston TO the benefits which
the opening of the reservation would
confer upon their city. The benefits to
be derived from annexation are purely
imaginary, while the opening of the
reservation would bring an immediate
money return to every business man
in the Clearwater country. We believe
that the time is ripe for definite action
to be taken on this matter. The sew
crafty act passed by the last congress
was a recognition of the fact that the
nation has decided to solve the Indian
problem by the only practial methods
methods which are incorporated into
the policy of the present administration.
The re was a time when all the country
west of the Mississippi river was Indian
country; the Pacific slope. from Texas
to the British line were theirs. But al
ready that vast domain is gone. 1t is
cut up by railroads; territories have
b en- cut out OF it; new states have come
into being; civilization is advancing;
settlement is pressing them upon every
side, until now there is no Indian coun-
try except the Indian reservations.
The great demand for public lands,
and the comparative exhaustion of the
public domain have directed the atten-
ton of the country to the opening up of
these vast tracts of fertile land. The
day of the wild Indian is passed. never
to return. The white population, the
railroads and the presence of the army
renders it Impossible that we shall ever
gain be troubled with Indian out
breaks. The Indians have of late years
shown themselves capable of taking on
civilization; they have acquired habits
OF self-cultivation and industry, and are
fully as capable of being absorbed into
citizenship as were the blacks of the
south. These Nez Perce Indians are al
ready far advanced in the gospel of
sel-support. They have been brought
to realZ to great extent the civilizing
influences of the individual ownership
of property. Som among them have
already freely and voluntarily assumed
the rights and responsibilities of citizen
ship. They have abandoned their tribal
relations and tor years have lived with
out chief. Earnest missionaries have
devoted their lives to teaching them the
education of the head and the heart.
Thew are far advanced in the arts Of
agriculture. The boys and girls who
have been educated at the Indian train
ing schools are growing up to maturity
and their influence for good will be
great. They are not Indians in the gen.
eral sense of the term. They have
never worn blanket or seen a seal ping
knife. They are for all the purposes of
civilization as much American citizens
as the children of our own race. X
The six millions of blacks who were
taken into the body polite after GEN.
turies of slavery and ignorance have
been assimlated without detriment to
our institutions. There are about 265
900 Indians in the United States, occu-
pying l32, 600 900 acres of land, giving to
Indians can be much more readily alb
sorbed than were the blacks, and as an
offset to whatey YER evils might arise is
the fact that the reservations will be
opened up to white settlement and the
homeless of our own countrymen in
vited to occupy the lands which the
Indians do not need and cannot cult
vate, and which, under the present svs-
| tenn are obstacles to the march of COM
merce and civilization. The very size
and immensely of these reservations
tend to keep up the roaming and no.
madic spirit and initiate against a
settled and industrious life. And
viewed in the light of social or political
economy it is the height of unreason to
have these vast reserves occupied by a
few semi-cvilized Indians, to clothe and
feed them thereon, and to derive no
bene fit from the land for either whites
or Indians. The first step in civili-
zation is to till the soil and to acquire a
taste for agricultural pursuits; to acquire
a taste and zeal for the individual own
ership of piece of land which he ear
call his own as against all the world.